The event looks at critical issues affecting schools, FET colleges, and universities and provides a forum for representatives from all these institutions, as well as government, publishers, eLearning providers, and corporate organisations, to bring new ideas, tested strategies, and real solutions to improve institutional global competitiveness through quality in education for all.

The challenges facing the education sector cannot be addressed in isolation, and Education Week brings together individuals with diverse areas of interest, knowledge, and skills to share their ideas and work in unison. The goal is to ensure that educational institutions adequately prepare youth to become productive members of society and eventually take their place as future leaders, hence the theme for 2011: Bridging the skills gap through quality education for all.

The following are the four main conference tracks:

Basic Education, incorporating SACATS (South African Curriculum Advisor and Teacher Support) - teacher training and development; improving literacy and numeracy levels; social development issues; career guidance.

Further and Higher Education and Training - capacity development in the FET sector; increasing participation and completion; innovative funding and partnership solutions.

Safety and Security in Educational Institutions - safety programmes in schools; addressing bullying and gangsterism; community involvement in promoting safety awareness, access control, CCTV and e-safety.

Education Technology Indaba - Developing 21st century skills to equip students for a rapidly changing world and workplace; the role of eLearning in improving access to education; social media and networking as a teaching tool; how to fast track infrastructure.

Other themes to be addressed are

• sport and recreation - how physical wellbeing enhances academic performance; sports outreach programmes; whole-child development.
• maths and science literacy - demystifying fundamental maths and science concepts; subject-appropriate teaching methods; managing practical work.

Confirmed speakers include Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, and Professor Johannes Cronjé, from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.